The ultimate guide to securing your perfect second year house in Leeds

Ah, November. The month of sunsets at 4pm, trekking through horizontal rainfall to get to Bobby’s, and the impending doom of realising that university actually involves work and not just exceeding your weekly units of alcohol in one night. Oh, and on top of that, despite having only been at uni for less than two months, you’re suddenly expected to find a group of people to live with who you won’t hate in ten months’ time.

As somebody who’s been through the dreaded house-hunting process twice now, I feel more than qualified to provide you with a comprehensive guide on finding your personal Headingley or Hyde Park haven (or Woodhouse, but unfortunately that wasn’t as alliterative). The idea of searching for a house may seem at best intimidating, and at worst a soul-crushingly hopeless quest that has no end, but it doesn’t have to be. 

Don’t rush into anything

If that made you roll your eyes, I apologise. It’s probably the most frequently-repeated piece of advice dished out to first years who are just starting to think about housing, but for good reason. This phrase won’t seem quite so trivial if you end up living with four people who you met in Freshers’ Week and now barely tolerate. It’s always worth taking the time to make sure your potential housemates are actually the kind of people you can stand being around 24/7.

Don’t panic

Picture this. You’re standing in a cold, dark mouldy box room with a dodgy landlord telling you: “You won’t find another nine-bed for this price.” Before you know it, you’ve signed an asbestos-filled house 45 minutes away from uni without a living room or running water.

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Letting agents are only human. While many of them have your best interests at heart, they also have something else on their mind- commission. Sometimes, their talk of, “You’d better snap this one up right away because we’ve got fifty more groups viewing it this week” is just that- talk. You don’t need to settle for a house you’re going to dread moving into.

This beauty was £150 a week as well

Think about your area

“Wait, there are student houses outside of Hyde Park?” I hear you cry. While Hyde Park is certainly the busiest and most notorious of the Leeds student areas, it isn’t your only option. Headingley is just as affordable, and most importantly, has its own high street. With a Superdrug, a Sainsbury’s and some of the best pubs in Leeds within a short walking distance, trekking over into town will become a distant memory.

For the more studious of you reading this, Woodhouse is also a worthy contender. It’s perfect if you don’t fancy walking more than ten minutes back home after a lengthy stint in Eddy B. It’s also close to the city center- when you’re stumbling back from Warehouse in the freezing cold because it’s the end of the semester and an Uber would send you into destitution, you’ll thank yourself.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Look, I know house viewings are awkward. While tenants are always warned in advance, there’s always one who hasn’t checked their emails and is fast asleep when you and your friends burst into their room ready to take photos.

However, if there’s anyone in the house who isn’t asleep, drunk or downright unfriendly, don’t be afraid to ask them whether they’d recommend living there or not. When I did this in first year, I received a surprising number of people telling me to escape while I still could. Now I’m in a second year house currently being invaded by groups of eager freshers, I’m happy to return the favour. If any of them bother to ask, I like to smile sweetly, show them a picture of my collapsed bedroom ceiling and tell them to run far, far away.

Nothing like being in Eddy B and receiving this snap from your housemate

Get your bills included

Trust me on this one. Nobody wants to spend their time squabbling over who’s been taking the longest showers or whether Jess should get a discount because she went home for reading week. UniHomes packages are super easy to set up, surprisingly affordable, and might just save your friendships.

Now, you may be thinking, “this girl seems to have a lot of strong opinions considering that she’s just a lowly second-year humanities student.” Lucky for you, I asked a sample of my peers for their advice, and they gave me some interesting takes:

“It’s a lot more chill than you think and there will always still be houses available. Leeds isn’t like other cities where there are housing shortages.” – Leoni W.

“Check for any signs of mould or damp during viewings, especially in basements.” – Cara D.

“Make sure you do your research and you’ll be fine.” – Annika W.

“Don’t expect your landlord to care. Also, choose your housemates wisely.” – Anonymous.

“Make sure you choose a safeish area. #Burglary.” – Paige E.

Blink twice if you need help, Paige.

And on that rather ominous note, I’ll leave you with one final thing to take away: Don’t get too stressed. Leeds is full of hundreds of fabulous places to call home, and soon the trauma of the house search will just be a distant memory. 

Happy house hunting!